To do this, we chose an unsigned band, from unsigned.com, and selected one of their songs. This song was then used to produce the music promo, forcing us to focusing on how to bring the song and lyrics to life, visually.
After analyzing the lyrics and sketching a storyboard for the promos narrative and performance sections, we were able to begin filming and then editing the video. To fully incorporate the narrative parts of the promo, we decided to make it the focus of our magazine advertisement, where related scenes from the promo feature.
The digipak however remains as a well-balanced combination of both narrative and performance elements, as we felt that the narrative seems fairly slow and dark (because of the black and white effects) and the performance feels a lot more lively and involved.
These conventions can be seen to be followed by professional bands when making and exhibiting their music promo's, the list below compares shots from professional promo's and shots taken from our own promo.
The promo's compared below are also some of the videos we found influential while making our music promo and deciding what should feature in it.
The Killers, as a band, are composed in the same layout as us in these shots. The Drummer is central background, the guitarists are either side of the stage and the vocalist is central foreground.
This layout can be seen in many other rock/alternative/indie promo's and is popular because it is conventional to have the vocalist at the front, as they are usually the most well known member of the band and are normally the ones who interact with the audience the most.
The guitarists are either side of the vocalist as they are also very important, but because they are not as mobile or crowd-engaging as the singer, they are slightly set back but still are widely visible by the audience.
The drummer, obviously, is not at all able to move, as they are set at the back end of the stage because they have the biggest instrument and would cause obstructions if they were anywhere else.
Foo Fighters - The Pretender
This shot is a close-up, mid-action shot of the guitars in both promo's. It shows the guitarist up close and allows the audience to feel engrossed in the song because they can see the guitarist playing it.
It also shows some continuity, as the guitarist is moving about and strumming the guitar, the drummer in the back, or other band members that appear in the shot, can be seen playing their part of the song. This helps to keep the flow of the promo at a constant.
This type of low-angle shot shot also works incredibly well to make the guitarist seem more important when it comes to a solo in the song.
In these shots, we can see the drummers playing their part of the songs. It allows the audience to get a closer look at the drummer while they are busy playing the beat of the song. This shot is commonly used to help the song flow as the speed of the promo is often dictated by the drummer, and what speed he is playing at.
Like the guitar close-up, it also doubles well for drum solo's and other parts of the song where the tempo may change.
In all music promo's it is important to maintain a large portion of the shots focused on the vocalist, and this can be seen through these shots above.
The vocalist can often be thought of as talking the lyrics to the audience, which would make sense as normally they are looking at the camera or expressing the lyrics of the song to the crowd. This makes the audience feel more involved in the promo as the vocalist is almost explaining everything to them.
Music Promotional Video
The music promo will be used to assist the audience in creating a visual image of the song and its lyrics. The video we have produced is almost a literal representation of the song as we feel using images to aid the mood of the song generates a greater emphasis on how it makes the audience feel and their overall reaction to the promo.
I feel that the promo fits the
conventions of a rock/indie/alternative promo as we have used many different
angled shots with a variety of zooms, including hand-held shots. Also we feel
that the representation of the band, portrayed by us in the promo, fits the
conventions of this genre’s type of promo, as we are wearing smart/casual clothes.
The tracking shot we used here is simply following the husband as he slowly stumbles down the road. It features in the promo as the lyrics "roaming the night" are sung showing illustration.
While deciding what sort of promo to
produce, we came across some that we found quiet influential, they are listed
below:
Here are some examples of shots that can be found in our music promo, which can also easily be found in real music promos in the rock/alternative/indie genres:
Mid shot
The mid shot here shows the upper-half of Zander and I in the promo. It provides a general view of more than one person at a time and can be used to easily link shots together as a form of continuity.
The mid shot here shows the upper-half of Zander and I in the promo. It provides a general view of more than one person at a time and can be used to easily link shots together as a form of continuity.
Low-angle shot
This low-angle shot shows Zander playing the guitar, but from a very low level, looking up at the guitar. It shows the power and important of the guitar and guitarist, because they appear to be higher than the audience viewing the promo.
Over-the-shoulder shot
Here we have used the over-the-shoulder shot as part of a sequence where we show the husband in the narrative drinking alcohol. It shows his perspective as he shakily raises, drinks from and lowers the bottle. We used a handheld camera to capture this, as it provides the lazy shot-type that we wanted and we felt would be effective.
Tracking shot
The tracking shot we used here is simply following the husband as he slowly stumbles down the road. It features in the promo as the lyrics "roaming the night" are sung showing illustration.
Perspective shot
This perspective shot shows the surrounding trees in a forest. The shot is taken from the perspective of Molly in the promo, where she is laying face-up in an open grave. The trees point up to the sky, making it feel further away and thus making the audience feel distant from everything.
This perspective shot shows the surrounding trees in a forest. The shot is taken from the perspective of Molly in the promo, where she is laying face-up in an open grave. The trees point up to the sky, making it feel further away and thus making the audience feel distant from everything.
Zooming shot
A zooming shot is used to either focus on a subject in the shot, or to distract the audience from the subject to create suspense or tension. Here it has been used to zoom in on the subject, Molly, as she runs away.
A zooming shot is used to either focus on a subject in the shot, or to distract the audience from the subject to create suspense or tension. Here it has been used to zoom in on the subject, Molly, as she runs away.
Long shot
This long shot, or establishing shot, shows the whole band during the promo. It, as well as the mid shot, provides a general view of the band and shows them all playing their part of the song.
This long shot, or establishing shot, shows the whole band during the promo. It, as well as the mid shot, provides a general view of the band and shows them all playing their part of the song.
Reverse shot
The reverse shot here shows a flower being pieced back together. It is a strong image, as the song is about Molly having cheated on her husband, and the reverse flower shot shows her husband trying to build their relationship back up, through attempting to reattach petals to the flower head.
The reverse shot here shows a flower being pieced back together. It is a strong image, as the song is about Molly having cheated on her husband, and the reverse flower shot shows her husband trying to build their relationship back up, through attempting to reattach petals to the flower head.
Close-up shot
Close-up shots are typically found in just about every single promo ever. They are so commonly used because they can be used to easily focus on something, like a singer or other band member. We have used them for specifically this reason.
Close-up shots are typically found in just about every single promo ever. They are so commonly used because they can be used to easily focus on something, like a singer or other band member. We have used them for specifically this reason.
Canted-angle shot
The canted-angle shot can give the effect of drunkenness when used properly, which is why we decided to use it here. It perfectly shows the husband drinking near an embankment.
The canted-angle shot can give the effect of drunkenness when used properly, which is why we decided to use it here. It perfectly shows the husband drinking near an embankment.
High-angle shot
A high-angle shot can show power, as the audience can be made to feel higher than the subject in the shot. This is what we were going for here.
We found the above music videos influential because they both relate to our promo in some way. The Strokes' - 'Under Cover Of Darkness' is influential because of the smart outfits of the band members and the way the performance mixes into the video. We can see the band playing their instruments almost the whole way through the song, where in our promo we have tried to keep a variety of performance and narrative shots and sequences.
Where as, Ben Howard's - 'Keep Your Head Up' is influential because of the the narrative of the song, and the way it is visually represented through the music promo. It feels as if the lyrics are much more meaningful because there is a visual representation of them to aid the audience in painting a picture of the story. This is something we have tried to do with our promo, where we have introduced a literal story to the song which follows the exact lyrics of the song.
Both songs are similar to ours as 'Keep Your Head Up' is a sensitive indie song, and 'Under Cover Of Darkness' is an alternative'rock song.
The advert would be strategically placed in magazines that are typically associated with the target audience, using the logic that they would see the advert and want to investigate further. The tour dates on the advert will promote the appearances of the band and hopefully persuade people to come and see them live.
Below is an analysis of our magazine advert compared to a real rock band, the Foo Fighters, advert:
Digipak
The digipak is a means of direct distribution of the promo, the album and the band, as a franchise. It is made up of a wallet like structure, with 3 panels which allow for things to be placed on the inside and outside, such as:
- a list of songs
- band member names
- song lyrics
- album/digipak concept artwork
- exclusive/bonus content
- extra discs
It also works as a form of exhibition, where the target audience see and buy the digipak as a collectors item. Because of this, the digipak must be eye-catching and appealing to the audience. To do this, it must be relevant to the band and follow the conventions of a digipak. This can easily be done by simply using techniques that real bands use.
To show how we have used some of these certain techniques and followed conventions in producing our digipak, I have compared ours with one produced by popular alternative band, Muse:
